| AmerAsian (AmerAsian: Origin) | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Roger Lim |
| Produced by | Roger Lim |
| Written by | Roger Lim |
| Starring | Roger Lim Cris Smothers Bobby Dodge Shannon Gayle Andrew Plummer Jason Lombard |
| Music by | Chris Julian |
| Cinematography | David Doko |
| Release date(s) | February 2010 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
AmerAsian is an American feature length college relationship drama was released in February, 2010. Directed by Roger Lim, it is the first AmerAsian film of a trilogy and stars Lim as Eric Young (who takes on the identity of unknown Jimmy Lee) and Cris Smothers as Monica Donovan (Eric’s potential love interest). It also introduces Bobby Dodge as Coach Donovan (Monica’s dad & Eric’s baseball coach), Shannon Gayle as Kimberly (Monica’s best friend), Andrew Plummer as Sean (the catalyst who finds Eric’s new identity), and Jason Lombard as Daryl Walker (the team’s standout player).
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The story, set in 2000, begins when Eric Young, stagnant and lifeless since his father’s death, is coerced by his best friend, Sean, to borrow an identity and take back a forgone year of baseball eligibility. Once in class, Eric immediately connects with Monica, the charming, All-American daughter of his coach, Coach Donovan. Although Eric works harder than anyone to earn playing time, the jealous Donovan permanently relegates him to the bench. Due to his own hidden motives, Sean warns Eric to steer clear of Monica and to focus strictly on baseball. But when Eric turns the other ear, he finds the closer he grows to Monica, the darker the secrets that surface from her abusive past. Eric is ultimately forced to the weigh the challenges of his own mental well-being against the psychological pain which causes Monica to spiral out of control. Tagline: Stolen Identity, Manipulation, Jealousy, Revenge & Abuse. Inspired by true events, AmerAsian (2009 film)[1] is the prequel to both An American Asian (2010 film)[2], and Young Again AKA AmerAsian3 (2011 film).[3]
After 2 years of developing his first feature length screenplay, Lim set out to produce, cast, and act in AmerAsian. Lim, who was at first reluctant to direct himself in his script, decided that doing so would be in the best interest of the most accurate storytelling, having written the script based on his own life. His casting process took a very tough 18 months before all the pieces began to fall into place. The film, originally scheduled to shoot in the Spring of 2004 with Travis Van Winkle attached as Sean, was pushed back a year for casting purposes. After over 1000 reads for the female lead, Lim found newcomer Cris Smothers, who was perfect for the role of Monica Donovan, and initiated 4 months of intense rehearsals with her. After several hundred more reads, Bobby Dodge was attached to play Monica’s suspect father, Coach Donovan, and Jason Lombard was cast as the arrogant Daryl. Although it took just as many more auditions to find the perfect cold-hearted Kimberly, Shannon Gayle was attached late in the game, though Lim notes her performance as one of the most exciting elements of the entire film. Despite Van Winkle’s hard work, commitment, and dedication to his intense rehearsals, and everything set to go in mid-2005, Van Winkle was unfortunately lost to production. But just weeks before shooting, Lim cast Andrew Plummer, already on board for a smaller role in the film, as the new Sean. The remainder of the cast would come on board as much as a year later. Attached even before any of the actors was cinematographer David Doko, whose tremendous support was invaluable to Lim. A month before principal photography was to begin, Lim set out to personally interview hundreds more to fill his 20 crew positions. As pre-production came to a wrap, Lim was able to continually fine-tune his script until AmerAsian was set to begin shooting.
Shooting on AmerAsian started on June 11, 2005 on the Los Angeles Pierce College baseball field in Woodland Hills, California, and concluded on July 17, 2005 at the Country Inn & Suites in Calabasas. Two additional sets of pickup weekends were shot each in 2006 and in 2007. Shooting locations also included Los Angeles, Encino, Sherman Oaks, and Burbank, California.[5] During 2007, Lim worked with picture editor Joseph Binetti while he was able to write and shoot the final pieces of his debut film. During 2008 and into 2009, the film’s sound design, foley, and music fell into the hands of Emmy Award Winner, Chris Julian.[6]
Chris Julian is a native New Yorker who earned his B.S. in Television and Radio Production from Syracuse University; Julian is an award winning composer, producer, sound editor, and foley artist, spanning the film, record, and television industries in genres ranging from film sound to rock, hip-hop/R&B, and jazz; He earned his first Emmy Award on A & E’s Flight 93 (TV film),[7] as well as dozens of Gold and Platinum records; His post production sound work has been featured in films earning 6 major awards and 14 major nominations, including a Sundance Win and Nom, 10 Emmy Noms;[8] His collaborations in the record industry have merited his esteemed clients 4 Grammy Noms; As producer, composer, engineer, writer, and instrumentalist, he has worked in every genre, with music giants ranging from Jimmy Webb, Art Garfunkel, Chaka Khan, David Bowie, and Isaac Hayes, to Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Deee-Lite, 3rd Bass, Black Sheep, and Biz Markie;[9]. His NYC - based production company, Calliope,[10]. became ground zero for the now legendary East Coast hip-hop movement known as the Native Tongues; He’s worked with many of the aforementioned hip-hop artists who forged a new Black roots awareness and progressive, brainy, "hippy" sensibility within the hip hop community, forever inspiring new modes of expression for Black artists everywhere; Julian’s diverse musical background, vast technical know-how, including classical training and conducting, combined with his love and passion for the art of cinema, have made him a natural in the motion picture industry; Has been honored to have worked closely with numerous film sound greats, including Larry Blake, Pat Bietz, Multiple Emmy Award winner Mark Linden, Emmy Award winner and Academy member, Harry Snodgrass, and Clancy Troutman; He’s contributed his many post production sound skills to over 100 feature films starring Academy Award Winners, Lee Marvin and Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award Nominees, Elliot Gould and JoBeth Williams, as well as Naomi Watts and many more;[11] In the field of television and radio commercial music, Julian was founder and co-owner of Bang music, a now multi-continental, always cutting-edge, youth oriented commercial music production company; With Bang, Julian and his colleagues have written and produced commercials for Coke, Pepsi, Mercedes Benz, Anheuser-Busch, Ford, Burger King, the American Cancer Society, Procter & Gamble, Sony, and many others;[12] Classically trained in voice, trombone, and timpani, he plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and toured the U.S. for six year as lead singer of his rock band, Los Federales; Julian is also the owner & operator of a three-studio complex & foley stage in Topanga, California.[13]
Roger Lim is an American Asian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, currently in various stages of post-production on his AmerAsian Trilogy.[14] Born and raised in San Francisco, California, he graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Psychology. As a junior at nationally recognized Lowell High School (San Francisco), he was named All-City pitcher after winning his school’s first-ever playoff-championship game at Candlestick Park. After a career threatening rotator cuff injury his senior year, he managed to walk on as an outfielder his freshman year at USF, a squad in which 9 of his teammates went on to sign professional contracts. With his arm fully recovered, he made stops at both nationally ranked Los Angeles Pierce College, where he developed his catching skills, and Cal State Hayward, where he finished as the team’s second leading hitter. In between college seasons, he was fortunate enough to compete at third base in front of many professional scouts at recruitment camps for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Major League Scouting Bureau. After returning to USF to earn his degree, he converted to a full-time catcher, playing on various semi-pro teams around Northern and Southern California. Overall, he has competed with and against more than 100 players who have moved on to the professional ranks and into Major League Baseball.[15] After settling in L.A., he began training concurrently in massage therapy and acting courses. During that time, he landed various talent agents, leading him to model in over 150 print ad campaigns including Mercedes, AT&T, Pizza Hut, Carnival Cruiselines, and Mandalay Bay Resort. In addition to several industrial, television, and film appearances, one of the biggest highlights of his life came when dusted off his baseball gear to catch Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Hideo Nomo, in an international Nike commercial. His initial writing efforts were sparked by his acting instructor, Michelle Danner, while studying at the Larry Moss Studios. He soon began scripting his AmerAsian Trilogy, inspired entirely by his close personal relationships, revolving around his immensely challenging baseball journey.[16]
AmerAsian will be released in North America in February, 2010. In addition to the release of AmerAsian, the film will be succeeded by its sequels, An American Asian (late 2010 film) [2], followed by Young Again AKA AmerAsian3 (2011 film)[17].
   | ''Asian-Nation: Vietnamese Amerasians'' - Vietnamese Amerasians in America : Asian-Nation :: Asian American History, Demographics, & Issues |
| | ''Asian-Nation: Multiracial Asian Americans'' - Multiracial/Hapa Asian Americans : Asian-Nation :: Asian American History, Demographics, & Issues |
| | ''Operation Reunite'' - Operation Reunite - Nonprofit Organization providing Support and Understanding to Vietnamese War Babies. |
| | ''Adopted Vietnamese International'' - Index Page for AVI |
| | ''Amerasian Childfind'' - Amerasian-Childfind.org - Assisting Amerasians and their Fathers' Reunite |
| | ''http://amerasianfoundation.org/?page_id=15'' - Amerasian Definition | Amerasian Foundation |
| | ''Vietnam Babylift'' - Vietnam Babylift Home Page |
| | ''Amerasian Foundation'' - Amerasian Foundation - Giving Amerasians a Voice | Welcome |
| | Roger Lim Official Website - Roger Lim - Professional Actor/ Director/ Producer/ Writer |
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